Improvement in feeding mechanisms for sewing-machines



C. PARHAM.

"Feeding Mechanism for Sewing-Machines.'

No.1'35,579. PatemdFetfdffss.`

AM. PHarainHoanAPH/c co. Mmmm/Mis mams) UNITED Srrrifrms CHARLES PARHAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEEDING MVECHANISMS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

` Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,579, dated February 4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES PARHAM, of the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction and Operation of Feed Mechanism for Sewing-Machines 5 and I do hereby declare thc following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingmaking a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a plan of the under side of a sewing-machine table or base with the feeding mechanism in place thereon. Fig. 2 represents an end view-of the table or base,

and of the feed mechanism connected thereto.

ent of the mechanism that I employ for such purpose.

' My invention relates to a feed mechanism which is susceptible of being used as a simple progressive or rectilinear feed, or as a compound rectilinear and lateral feed, for zigzag stitching, as may be required, and which can `be applied to sewing-machines already constructed by removing but two of the parts so constructed, and applying my mechanism in their stead and place, and without impairing the parts so removed or changing the sewing-machine, so that the removed parts may hot at any time be interchanged with the compound mechanism, and so have two kinds of feed mechanism applicable to one and the same sewing-machine, and interchangeable at pleasure, or to Asuit the kind of work to be done; and my invention consists in the construction, combination, and co-operative action ofthe several mechanical devices that I employ for the above purpose, as will be hereinafter fully explained. V g

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de: scribe the same with reference to the drawing.

A is a metal frame, which carries, supports, or controls the entire new feeding mechanism, except one single piece or part, B, which .hanger D of a previously-constructed machine by means of a bolt, E, and nut F, occupying the saine position that the. bolt and nut of the removed rectilinear-feeding mechanism occupied in and on the sewing-machine 5 and that this new compound feed mechanism may be accurately iitted and adjusted to the other unremoved parts of the sewingmachine, two setscrews, a a, areV employed, which pass through projections b b of the frame A, and bear against the under side of the bed of the sewing-machine, so that said frame may, with its parts, be adjusted to ac curately work in connection with the unchanged parts of the sewing-machine.

The ordinary sleeve or boss which is used on the driving-shaft C, and which bears :against the down-hanger Gthat is cast upon the under side of the bed of the sewing-machine, and which boss isl designedto prevent end motion to said shaft, is removed, and in its place and stead I put a collar or boss, B,which has upon it or connected to or with it a cam, I,that has a collar or yoke, J, around it, which collar or yoke carries a pawl, o, that works in connection with a ratchet, el, to give lateral motion to the feeding-wheel K, as will be herein-after explained. To the collar or yoke J is connected one end of a coiled spring, e, the other end being attached to the bed of the machine, and this spring acts to keep the collar J, and particularly the pawl c, which it carries, in operative connectionwith the ratchet d. The collar and cam B I, which may be made in one piece, the yoke J, its pawl c, and restraining-spring e are the only parts or pieces that are not connected to or 'Y with the frame A, these parts or pieces being connected to or with the driving-shaft C.

The feed-wheel K receives its progressive motion in the ordinary well-known way-viz., bya cam, L, on the end of the driving-shaft C- that works in connection with the clampingarms of the feed-wheel, and turns the latter intermittingl y by striking the wed ge or tapering foot, loosely fixed in one arm of the clamping mechanism. lith this arm of the clamping mechanism, which lhas heretofore been a rigid arm, commences my change or improvement in the feeding mechanism. This hitherto rigid arm I very much shorten," and then hinge to it, as at f, a piece, g, which 1s controlled by a reactionary spring, h, and in this Y hinged piece g I place the tapering foot 1'-,

that works against the cam L on the shaft C. The axis or pivot of the hinge-joint f 1s at right angles to the axis of the journal or bearing of the feed-wheel, so that when the point or position on the cam while the feed-` wheel is moved laterally, a pin, j, in the end of the hinged arm g drops into a recess in the frame A and holds it and the foot in one position, the hinge-joint at f yielding when the feed-wheel is moved laterally. The cam L can be adjusted in the usual way to regulate the length of feed or stitch, and the foot i is self-adjusting, as in the usual well-known way.

The lateral motionof the feed-wheel K is attained as follows: A shaft, M, is supported in the frame A so that said shaft may move endwise in its support or bearing; and to a crank or right-angled arm, l, on one end of this shaft, there is attached a hollow hub, N, which hub fits over and upon the bolt E, by

which the frame A is held. Over the hubv N, which may be called a sleeve or boss hub, the hub of the feed-wheel K is slipped on, and on it said feed-wheel turns. 0n what may be termed the rear end of the shaft M there is placed a slotted cam, O, which cam, though it can turn on the shaft, cannot move endwise thereon, but must go in that direction with said shaft, it being prevented from moving endwise independently of said shaft by a shoulder on the shaft at one end of the cam, and a pin through the shaft at the other end of the cam. Connected with or constructed on this cam O is the ratchet d, by which said cam is turned intermittingly on its shaft by the cam, yoke, and pawl, operated by the shaft O. On the end m of an arm of the frame A is a friction-roll, n, which works in the cam-groove 0, and which moves said cam, its shaft', the hub N, and the feedwheel K laterally, to make the zigzag feed.

lTo the frame is attached a movable shield,

p, which is held by a set-screw, q. When the lateral feed of the wheel K is not required the pawl c is drawn back and out of action with the ratchet d, and the shield p is moved -so as to interpose between the ratchet and pawl. This stops the rotation of the cam O, and consequently the lateral movement of the feed-wheel; but the feed-wheel can be used byfthe clamp-feed to give it its ordinary progressive or rectilinear motion, lso that either feed may be used at pleasure.

Now I have described this feeding mechanism as constructed to be applicable to sewing-machines already constructed, and as interchangeable with the ordinary clamp feeding mechanism of such already-constructed machines.

It is obvious that in building new machines this new feeding `mechanism may be constructed with a view to apply them to such new machines; and I do not restrict their use to such previously-built machines, though their capability therefor'is one of its principal oommendations. The two separate and distinct mechanisms admit of using the sewing-machine with one of them when the other becomes disabled. Y

The cam O, as herein shown, is shaped for forming a zigzag or saw-tooth-shaped line of stitching; other forms of stitching, such as waved, scalloped, or turreted lines, may be made by shaping the cam' in accordance with the style of ornamented work desired.' A series of these cams with ratchet attached, or of cams alone, attachable to a common ratchet, may be made and used at pleasure.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim therein as new, and desire to y secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with the clutch-arm g, the foot t', hinged to the clutch, and provided with pin j, adapted to a recess in the frame, so as to allow the feed-wheel to move laterally without so moving the foot t', as and for the purpose described and represented.

' 2. In combination with theiframe A, the bolt E, when serving not only to unite the .frame and its varied parts to the bed of the machine, but when also serving as a support` for the hub-boss N that carries the feed-wheel K, as described and represented.

3. The combination ofthe cam I, its yoke J, and pawl c, operated by the shaft C, with the ratchet d, cam O, and shaft M, for the purpose of giving a lateral motion to the feedwheel, substantially as described.` 4. The combination, with the ratchet and pawl, of the shield p for covering said ratchet, and so preventing the pawl from reaching it, and thus throwing the laterally-moving parts out of action, as and for the purpose described.

5. In combination with the frame A for sustaining and carrying most of the feed mechanism, the projections b and set-screws a, for

adjusting said mechanism, so as to work true j with parts otherwise sustained on the sewingmachine, as described. i 6. The frame A, constructed as herein described and represented, and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses: CHAS. PARHAM.

MICHAEL Quran, C. S. GUsHMAN. 

